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The Los Angeles Clippers received some bad news when they learned Chris Paul would need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and miss 6-8 weeks. Without him, the Clippers' chances of staying near the top of the Western Conference are severely impacted. But there is some good news for the team as Blake Griffin could be returning very soon.

According the Orange County Register's Dan Woike, Griffin is "close to 100 percent."

Griffin had a "routine arthroscopic procedure" on his right knee in late December and was expected to miss 3-6 weeks, so his return is right on schedule. The Clippers have played fine without Griffin, going 8-7 in his absence. Yet now with Paul also out, they need Griffin to come back as soon as possible.

While the Clippers do need Griffin's scoring and playmaking, it is more important that he is 100 percent healthy. There is no point to rush him back if he isn't healthy as the Clippers will need him more so in the playoffs than in the regular season. But overall, it is a good sign for the franchise now that one of their stars is nearing a return.